(The lies get bigger) Kerry Sharpens Aim on Gun Vote in Red States

Does anybody know where to find a complete list of Kerry's votes and missed votes. If we can find one, it should make a good list to send to gun owners. Dd

Kerry Sharpens Aim on Gun Vote in Red States
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200408%5CCOM20040812c.html

By Robert B. Bluey
CNSNews.com Commentary

Four years after Al Gore alienated gun owners with his tough talk and anti-gun record, this year's Democrat presidential nominee has adopted a new strategy when it comes to firearms. John Kerry is using images to make his case to gun owners.

Before most voters were paying attention to the candidates seeking the Democrat nomination last year, Kerry had reporters and photographers trail him on the plains of central Iowa where they watched him shoot two pheasants.

Ever since that chilly October day, pictures of Kerry in his blaze orange vest with a shotgun in hand have popped up in newspapers and in one of his own campaign ads. Immediately after the hunt, Kerry mailed his supporters the image. Three months later in January, he won the Iowa caucuses.

Potential voters who see the pictures might be left with the impression that the Democrat is a hunting pal of Wayne LaPierre. But the National Rifle Association's executive vice president isn't buying Kerry's use of gun imagery.

While keeping a distance from his 19-year Senate voting record, Kerry is serving as a "poster boy" in a scheme hatched by Americans for Gun Safety (AGS), a group that has encouraged Democrats to tone down their anti-gun rhetoric, LaPierre said.

Recognizing that Gore lost three battleground states in the 2000 race - Arkansas, his home state of Tennessee and West Virginia, each by six or fewer percentage points - in part because he was unable to shed the anti-gun image, AGS and centrist Democrats vowed to reverse course.

Last October, before the first votes were cast, Democrat strategists outlined a softer message for candidates to use. Pollster Mark Penn advised Democrats to support the Second Amendment, while also advocating "closing some gun law loopholes and enforcing the laws on the books."

Americans for Gun Safety adviser Matt Bennett, a former aide to retired Gen. Wesley Clark's campaign, said he's not surprised the NRA has attacked Kerry. Although the NRA hasn't formally endorsed President Bush, it plans to continue running ads this fall highlighting Kerry's anti-gun votes.

"The interesting thing about this race is that John Kerry is no Al Gore on the gun issue," Bennett said. "John Kerry is a gun owner, he's a hunter, he's a good shot, and he's nobody's pushover on gun rights. It's going to be much harder for the NRA to pin that gun-grabber label on John Kerry."

That won't stop the NRA from trying. Spokeswoman Kelly Hobbs said all it takes is a look at Kerry's record to understand his view of the Second Amendment. And as far as the Kerry vs. Gore comparison, Hobbs said this year's Democrat nominee differs greatly.

"He's far worse," Hobbs said of Kerry. "At least Al Gore was up front with gun owners about his support for strict gun control. John Kerry, despite voting against gun owners over 50 times in the Senate, is attempting to conceal his dismal Second Amendment record with a desperate election year ploy."

The NRA is quick to note that despite frequently missing Senate votes from last September to March of this year, Kerry made sure he returned to vote to ban semi-automatic rifles, outlaw gun shows and oppose immunity for the firearms industry from so-called junk lawsuits.

Throughout his career, Kerry has consistently voted 100 percent of the time with the anti-gun Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. When he ran for re-election in 2002, the NRA gave him an "F" grade.

But when photos of Kerry and his shotgun show up in newspapers and television commercials, some gun enthusiasts might not recognize the camouflaged Kerry.

"Those kinds of events, while clearly symbolic, are important," Bennett said in defense of Kerry. "They send a signal to gun owners that says, 'Look, I share your values because I am a gun owner. I'm not going to do anything that's going to infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns.' "

The tactic is working, according to the Washington Post, which reported Monday that 42 percent of gun owners in the so-called red states believe Kerry would be a less aggressive advocate for gun control. Wins in places like Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia might be all Kerry needs to capture the White House.

I haven't wagered money since the summer of 1972, when, having finished school, I dropped a quarter into a slot machine in Nevada just to be able to say I'd done it.

The leftist extremists want us to believe it's going to be a very close election. It's not. That Kerry creature is another Dukakis—unless it was Mondale, or perhaps it was McGovern, or...

R.H. Lee

August 14, 2004, 12:48 AM

There is NO CHANCE Kerry's support will increase beyond where it is AT THIS MOMENT. This is the President's election to lose. Remember, the Republicans have not had their convention yet; a whole 50 gallon drum of whoop-a$$ is gonna open up on Kerry soon. He will lose, and decisively.

carpettbaggerr

August 14, 2004, 12:58 AM

Fortunately, America isn't dumb enough to fall for camouflage orange. It's difficult to overestimate the stupidity of the American public.

That said, I don't think Kerry's gonna win, either.

Don of Kalifornia

August 14, 2004, 01:00 AM

When ALGORE was in the Senate, he was ranked an A by the NRA, and he was one of 'our friends' when ALGORE wanted to make it on the Democrat national spotlight, he turned very anti-gun. Now we all know Scary Kerry's rating, this goofball has NEVER voted pro-gun even once and now he wants to pull the wool over not our eyes, but hunter/shotgun crowd to get their vote.

We have one big job ahead of us, and that is to make sure that all those hunter/shotgunners understand, in the end, they to will lose their shotguns, and their right to hunt if Scary Kerry get elected.

carp killer

August 14, 2004, 01:54 PM

Have you ever tried talking to Elmer Fudd? :barf: :barf: :barf:

I see those morons at the shooting range all the time. They are the ones bitching about "those black guns".:what:

El Tejon

August 14, 2004, 02:01 PM

carp, then we know what we must do! Educate Elmer!:)

I think that .30-30 ammo ban is a good place to start, no?

mountainclmbr

August 14, 2004, 02:01 PM

Kerry has never voted Pro-Gun and likely never will. But, he is a lawyer and willing to lie about anything to get elected. He knows that Gore lost due to his anti-2A position and is trying to avoid the same fate. The truth has nothing to do with what Kerry says. It is only political posturing.

:barf: :barf: :barf:

carpettbaggerr

August 15, 2004, 12:17 AM

Must...fight....misanthropy......

Yes, El T, I think the 30-30 ban is a good place to start educating 'Elmer'. That and the sniper-rifle craze that was so popular two years ago, when Muhammad and Son were in business.

nico

August 15, 2004, 12:35 AM

But, he is a lawyer and willing to lie about anything to get elected.
kinda like how Edwards complains about how "Bush's tax shelters" are screwing medicare out of money, then uses one (an S-corporation) to avoid paying $600k in medicare taxes. Of course all the Bush haters don't have a problem with that since "who wouldn't pay any more taxes than they have to.":rolleyes:

I think they should add a line to the tax forms that allows a person to give as much extra money to the government as they want, since all the dems think we don't pay enough taxes (but apparently they pay plenty). Make them put their money where their mouths are instead of our money.

I'd like to think that, win or lose, Kerry isn't going to pull the wool over the eyes of gun owners, but I don't know. That being said, 99% of the people I've met/talked to at the local trap range don't fit the Elmer Fudd stereotype. It's actually pretty surprising considering my location.

Rawlings

August 15, 2004, 01:40 AM

"They send a signal to gun owners that says, 'Look, I share your values because I am a gun owner. I'm not going to do anything that's going to infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns.' "

I'd like to see this one in writing.

The tactic is working, according to the Washington Post, which reported Monday that 42 percent of gun owners in the so-called red states believe Kerry would be a less aggressive advocate for gun control.

As compared to whom? Feinstein? Schumer? Try as I might I couldn't get the Post website archives to display any articles from that date.

Librarian

August 15, 2004, 02:52 AM

Does anybody know where to find a complete list of Kerry's votes and missed votes. If we can find one, it should make a good list to send to gun owners. Dd
Here's a list for the current session (http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgi-bin/membervotes.cgi?&lang=&member=MAJR&site=congressmerge&address=&city=&state=MA&zipcode=&plusfour=&fullvotes=1) -- and back to January, 2003. A little mind-numbing, but doable; I let Word count all the 'Not Voting' entries for me: 439.

Another one I found is at C-Span (http://capwiz.com/c-span/dbq/issuesdbq/votesearch.dbq). For 2004, John Kerry has had an opportunity to vote for:

2 Cloture Motion; FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations bill
3 FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations bill
4 Motion To Table Kyl Amdt. No. 2234; Pension Funding Equity Act
5 Pension Funding Equity Act
6 Confirmation of Gary L. Sharpe, of New York, To Be U.S. District Judge
7 Cloture Motion; Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003
[most of the list snipped ]
162 Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of David W. McKeague, of Michigan, to be U.S. Circuit Judge
163 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, FY2005
Unfortunately, each one of those is a link to a vote record; that takes you to a summary page; an additional link takes you to the roll-call page; the voting senators are listed in a small table NOT IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, so you have to scan the whole table for each vote.
Similarly, there were 252 in 2002, 379 in 2001 and so on.

Anyone have a better list for the earlier sessions? Or, an intern to read all the links and summarize?

See also the page at Thomas (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/votes/member.html)

GSB

August 15, 2004, 02:39 PM

Fortunately, America isn't dumb enough to fall for camouflage orange.

Well, except for the guy in front of me on the road today with the NRA sticker on the right side of the rear window and the pro-Kerry sticker on the left.

mountainclmbr

August 15, 2004, 10:01 PM

Does anyone but me see the irony in John Edwards complaining that many cannot afford health insurance?

nico

August 16, 2004, 03:00 PM

Does anyone but me see the irony in John Edwards complaining that many cannot afford health insurance?
::raises hand:: Just another example of his hipocracy

R.H. Lee

August 16, 2004, 03:03 PM

Well, except for the guy in front of me on the road today with the NRA sticker on the right side of the rear window and the pro-Kerry sticker on the left.

Could be schizophrenia, abject stupidity, or a compromise with his SWMBO.

Brat7748

August 16, 2004, 05:48 PM

Rush said today that Kerry claimed to hunt deer by crawling on his belly :what:

Destructo6

August 16, 2004, 11:59 PM

Here's a Kerry voting record by year and topic. There is a "gun issues" line:

http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=S0421103

charby

August 17, 2004, 10:35 AM

chilly October day

Chilly my butt, I spent many an opener in October hunting those ditch parrots in a tee-shirt sweating. Sorry just yanking the sensationalism out that journalist. Pheasant season doesn't open in Iowa until the last Saturday in October and its usually pretty damn warm that day for some odd reason. Maybe Kerry was "hunting" on a Game Ranch?